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Sarasota Bay Watch releases first juvenile scallops

Sarasota Bay Watch has released approximately 50 million scallops into Sarasota Bay since December 2011.

But Friday’s scallop release was a first for the organization: For the first time, the group released juvenile scallops.

Prior to Friday’s release, all of the 50 million scallops the group had deposited around Sarasota Bay since December 2011 as part of a 10-year restoration project were 10-day-old larvae that were a microscopic one-quarter millimeter.

The more than 100,000 scallops released Friday are more than a month old, measure in at 2 or 3 millimeters and have developed shells, which could make them less vulnerable to predators.

For more information, pick up an Oct. 17 copy of the Longboat Observer.